Love Island

Chapter 17 - Shady Beaches

"I've got a text!" Lucas yelled out shortly after lunch. We gathered around him at the bar as he continued reading. "Islanders - get ready for life at sea! You'll be spending the rest of your afternoon on a yacht. The public will be voting for their favorite couple, and the winning duo will get to spend the night in the Hideaway! #DontRockTheBoat #LifesABeach." The rest of the islanders began to cheer. I immediately turned to Blake, having remembered his seasick story from our first date. His face looked pale.

Eli jogged down the grass and peered through the treeline. "I don't see anything," he commented. He disappeared behind the shrubbery and came running back. "There's a yacht out there!"

As the group started moving toward the beach, I came up beside Peyton. "Hey, just to let you know, Blake gets seasick. So if he's not acting himself, it's just because he doesn't feel well."

"Thanks for the heads up!" Peyton said. She turned to find Blake at the end of the pack. She slowed down to walk beside him.

"That's sweet, she can be his little nurse," Peach said.

We followed the over-excited guys down the path and onto the beach. A hundred yards away was a dock with a large yacht parked along the small wooden pier. "This should be fun," I smiled.

Our group of thirteen walked along the dock and began hopping into the boat. Two crew members on either side grabbed my elbows to steady me as I stepped in. The back of the yacht had soft vinyl seats forming a rectangle, with small passageways to reach the swim platform and bridge where the captain was sat. As Blake and Peyton took their seats, a cooler was locked into place on the central coffee table, packed with beer and various alcoholic seltzers.

"Where are we going?" Michael asked the crew as they untied the yacht from the dock pole. The motor began to hum to life.

"Open ocean," a crew member shrugged. He turned and looked out at the horizon. "A couple of miles west, over to a sandbar."

"Thank you!" Michael said as he leaned back on the vinyl and wrapped his arm around Katrina. "I absolutely love boats."

As the yacht roared to life and began splashing through the wake, a crew member exited the cabin with a small box and placed it on the coffee table. He invited us to play the inevitably drama-causing card game.

Katrina sat up happily and pulled the first card from the box. "Kiss an islander you haven't kissed before. Sorry, babe," she patted Michael on the shoulder. Katrina looked around and walked over to Peach, pulling her in for a warm, friendly kiss. "Done!"

Peach giggled happily beside me. "Not the action I expected on this trip, but it's the action I deserved!"

"Should we just go in a circle?" Eli suggested. We all agreed, and Eli, sitting to the left of Katrina, grabbed the next card. "Who's got the prettiest eyes? Easy, Giselle."

Giselle blushed at his side and picked the next card. "If you weren't in your current couple, who would you wish to be coupled up with?" Giselle looked around at the other islanders. "Um, Charlie, I guess."

Peach smiled proudly. "Good choice."

Polly grabbed the next card. "Kiss the islander you think has a secret." She held the card to her chest to protect it. "Ooh!" Polly carefully walked over to Noah and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Amelia's jaw clenched. Reminding her that it was only a game would have been pointless, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I'm an open book!" Noah laughed.

"My turn!" Lucas smiled. He picked up the next card from the book and flipped it over. "Who's an islander you'd like to get to know better?" He took a deep breath and scanned the group until his eyes landed on me. "Maddie. I really don't know you at all."